Ticket-holder.



Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

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O. OEHRING.

TICKET HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 8, 1909.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

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TICKET HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED 13110.8, 1909.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

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FIG. I I- I==OOOOOOO QR m =oooo pub O. OEHRING. TIGKET HOLDER. APPLIOATION FILED DBO. a. 1909.

Pate fied Dec. 6, 1910.

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UNTTD @TATiEtd OSCAR OEHR-ING, O15 BERLIN, GERMANY.

TICKET-HOLDER.

assess.

Application filed December T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Oscar Onrrmxe, a subject of the'Emperor of Germany, residing at Berlin, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ticket-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ticket holders; and has for its object to provide a simple and eflicient device for holding a continuous strip of material, such as card-board, bearing thereon printed impressions, representing, for instance, tickets, which are spaced equally apart, and in said spaces a row of perforations or indentations, edge notches, or other weakening means are made to enable said tickets when withdrawn from the device to be individually severed without tearing the ticket.

Each ticket strip may be doubled back and forth upon itself to form accordion folds, or wound into a roll, in either condition the strip is placed in a proper receptacle, with the delivery end of said strip passing over suitable obstructions 0r retarders, and along properly disposed guide ways so arranged as to permit withdrawal of but one ticket at a time from the holder without resorting to undue force. The ticket in position to be withdrawn from the receptacle lies wit-h its surface visible to the ticket agent or other person having charge of the device, and when grasped and the strip pulled, but little resistance is offered until another ticket has been withdrawn from the receptacle when sufficient resistance is encountered to indicate that one ticket is free, whereupon it is torn from the strip.

Another object of invention pertains to means for engaging with and positively stopping the movement of the ticket strip after a ticket has been withdrawn, and hold said strip against movement until the ticket is torn off and the fingers have grasped the next ticket on the strip. I A further object of the invention relates to an indicator arranged to be exposed when the first ticket is withdrawn by the ticket agent and remain exposed until he is relieved by another agent, the first agent before surrendering control of the ticket holders takes a statement of the number of tickets sold and then closes the indicator, which must be again opened by the new agent before he can begin the sale of tickets.

With these and other objects in view the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

8, 1909. Serial No. 531,951.

invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts here inafter described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the improved ticket holder; Fig. 2, a similar View of the ticket holder, showing a folded ticket strip in position therein; Fig. 2, a detail sectional view on the line 00.0 of Fig. 2; Fig. 3, a vertical cross-sectional view of a cabinet containing three ticket holders; Fig. 4, a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the group of three ticket holders, two of which are designed for receiving folded ticket strips, and one for a ticket strip wound into a roll; the locking device is also shown in this figure; Fig. a rear view of a group of ticket holders illustrating the locking mechanism; Fig. 6, a detail view of a part of the locking mechanism; Fig. 7, a longitudinal sectional view of a modified form of ticket holder arranged to receive a rolled ticket strip; Fig. 8, a front elevation of the same; Figs. 9 and 10, detail views in section, illustrating the operation of the stop device for arresting the movement of the ticket strip after one ticket has been withdrawn from the holder; Fig. 11, a view of a portion of the ticket strip designed to be used in connection with the stop device; Fig. 12, a front elevation of a further modified form of ticket holder; Figs. 13 and 14:, detail views of the stop device, used in connection with the type of ticket holder illustrated in Fig. 12; and Fig. 15, a View of a portion of the modified ticket strip used therewith.

Similar reference characters are used for the same parts in all of the figures.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a cabinet of any suitable style and size divided by partitions into compartments for the reception of ticket holders 2 made in the form of boxes or drawers, each with one side open to permit the insertion of ticket strips 3 thereinto. The ticket holder or receptacle 2 illustrated in Figs. 1 to 1, is designed to carry a ticket strip bent back and forth upon itself in equal layers to form accordion folds, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4:. The ticket strip 3 is placed in the back of the ticket holder or receptacle 2 behind two pins 7 and 7 proecting inwardly from the side of the re ceptacle, and carrying swinging flaps 6 and 9 respectively, the former hanging downwardly from the pin 7 near the top of the receptacle, and the later extending up wardly from the pin near the bottom of the same and a little forward of the pin 7. The flaps G and 9 are held normally in vertieal position by means of springs 8 and 10, respectively, and form retarding means for preventing too 'apid withdrawal of the ticket strip 3 from the ticket holder, and for this purpose bear with their flat faces against the folds of the ticket strip in the manner indicated in Figs. 2 and at, being swung out of their vertical positions by the folds of said strip which places the springs 8 and 10 under tension. Near the front of the receptacle 2 is another inwardly projecting pin 11 similar to the pins 7 and 7, on which is hinged a third retarding flap 11, angular-1y formed, as shown, over which the ticket strip passes, and which is adapted to swing downwardly when the ticket strip is *ithdrawn from the holder, but is normally held with its upturned end near the top of the receptacle by a spring 12.

Suitably placed within the receptacle near the front end and the top thereof andin the angle of the flap 11, is a roller mounted on a horizontal shaft 13, which forms a guide and support for the ticket strip 3, while being drawn from the receptacle.

The front end of the receptacle or ticket holder is open, as shown, to permit the ticket strip to pass outwardly and has attached thereto an inclined chute or support 14': for the end ticket of the strip next to be sold. This chute is formed with a plate on each side from which project inwardly, ribs forming guide slots 15 to receive the side edges of the ticket strip, and direct said strip as it is withdrawn from the ticket holder. The front of the chute is open, as may be seen in Fig. 2, so that the number, name and other matter on the ticket is at all times exposed to the view of the ticket agent.

Pivoted below the chute 14: is a plate 16 adapted to be swung upwardly to close the slots 15 through which the ticket is drawn, and held thus by suitable spring means. On the exposed face of the plate 16, when the latter is down, may be placed the word Sold, or other inscription. to indicate that one or more tickets have been disposed of.

To fill the ticket holder 2, a folded ticket strip 3, the length of the folds being substantially the same as the height of the receptacle, is placed in the receptacle from the open side thereof behind the pin 7 and the flap 6, three or as many as may be necessary of the tickets being unfolded so as to lie in front of said pin. The rear end of the folded ticket strip abuts against the back of the receptacle while the fourth ticket from the forward end presses againstthe depending flap 6, and swings the same forwardly against the tension of the spring 8. The third ticket, bears on the rear face of the upstanding flap 9 and swings it forwardly against the tension of its spring 10 as shown in Fig. 2. passed over the angular shaped flap 11 and roller 13, the upper edge of the flap 11, projecting into the bend between the second and first ticket. The first ticket is then inserted from within the receptacle into the slots 15 in the chute or support 14;,its lower end being in line with the bottom of said chute and in easy position to be grasped by thumb and finger of the ticket agent. A. finger piece 17 is attached to the under side of the angular flap 11, so that the latter can be swung down and out of the way when a ticket strip is placed in position. The plate or indicator 16 is then raised into contact with the bottom of the chute 14 asindicated in Fig. 1, and the receptacle placed in the cabinet, or otherwise disposed of, so as to be within ready reach of a person engaged in issuing the tickets. The ticket salesman before withdrawing a ticket from the receptacle, takes note of the number of the ticket and other necessary data thereon, and then swings downwardly the plate or indicator 16, grasps the exposed ticket supported in the chute and pulls downwardly thereon. This movement depresses the angular flap 11, and the ticket strip 3 is drawn over the roller 13 and releases from the flaps 6 and 9 the tickets pressing thereon. The ticket strip moves freely until the first ticket has been wholly withdrawn from the chute and the bend between the first and second tickets, which had been in engagement with the edge of the angular flap 11, is in line with the outlet of the chute, at which time the bend between the next two tickets having been drawn forward will be caught by said edge of the angular flap 11 and offer an appreciable resistance to the further movement of the ticket strip. This resistance indicates to the ticket agent that the ticket in his grasp has been withdrawn completely from the holder, he thereupon scvers the same from the strip, for which purpose the lower edges of the ribs forming the slots 15 are preferably sharpened so as to form cutting edges for the tickets.

The ticket strip is preferably made of card-board sutliciently stiff and resilient to resume its flat shape after passing over the flaps 6, 9 and 11 and the roller 13. except at the bonds between the tickets in which space the strip is by choice perforated or otherwise weakened so as to remain bent after being folded and at the same time permit the easy separation of the tickets from the strip.

hen an agent assumes charge of the tickets, the indicators 16 on all the holders will be closed against the under sides of the chutes 1 1, and before they are lowered,

The second ticket is he should take note of the numbers and such other necessary matter on the exposed tickets in the several ticket holders as required in making up an account of his sales. The indicators will remain elevated until a sale is made, when the indicator, closing the outlet of the ticket holder from which the ticket is to be withdrawn, is lowered and remains lowered until the agent is relieved. The agent in making out his statement of sales need only look at such of the ticket holders as have exposed indicators, as it is from those only that sales have been made. After taking the statement the agent closes all the indicators before surrendering charge of the ticket holders to his successor.

In order to prevent an unauthorized removal of the individual receptacles from the cabinet they are provided with a locking de vice, preferably in the form represented in Figs. t, and (3. As here shown, an upright rod 20 adapted to be moved vertically in suitable guides is disposed near the rear of each vertical row of receptacles 2, and are formed with spaced slots 19 therein to receive and engage hooks 18 on the back of the several receptacles 2. There will be as many of these upright rods as there are vertical rows of receptacles, and they have their lower ends pivoted each to a locking arm 21 mounted on horizontal shafts 22 that extend toward the front of the cabinet. These shafts are mounted in suitable bearings and have their forward ends polygonally formed to receive a key by means of which the shafts are turned and the receptacles unlocked. The upper edges of the hooks are beveled so that when the receptacles are pushed into place these bevel surfaces engage the slots 19, and raise the rods 20 which fall by gravity behind the hooks and automatically lock the receptacles against withdrawal. The polygonal ends 23 of the shafts 22 are seated in key holes in the front of the cabinet and are closed by means of a hinged door 24: arranged to be swung upwardly over said holes and locked by means of a key inserted in the lock 25. It will thus be seen that this lock 25 controls the locking devices of all the receptacles, however numerous they may be. It is evident that by unlocking the door 2& and turning it down all of the polygonal ends 23 of the shafts 22 will be exposed, and it is only necessary to apply a key on the polygonal ends of any of the shafts 22 and turn the same in the proper direction to release all the receptacles in a vertical row locked by the rod 20 connected to the aforesaid shaft. If desired all the shafts 22 may be connected together in such manner that the operation of one will cause all the others to turn in unison and thus simultaneously unlock all the receptacles.

It may sometime happen that through inat-tention or somg other cause, the ticket strip may be drawn out farther than wanted. To prevent-accidents of this sort a stop device has been devised and applied which operates automatically to prevent the ticket strip being drawn out a greater distance than the length of one ticket. This device is illustrated in Figs. 7 to 11 inclusive, and as there shown, it comprises a pivoted plate 30 provided with two claws or fingers 32 at the upper end which project in a forward direction and engage indentations 33 near the bottom of the side flanges on opposite sides of the opening 29 of the chute or ticket holder lt. The locking plate 30 is pivoted at the bottom of the receptacle 2 near the front thereof on a cross-bar 31, and is normally pressed forward by means of a spring 34 bearing against the rear of the plate and the bottom of the receptacle. For a purpose to be hereinafter described, the plate 30 is provided with a semi-circular swell 35 intermediate its ends projecting in a forward direction. The ticket strip used with this form of the device, and also with the preferred form hereinbefore described, consists of a continuous length of cardboard of suitable width, 011 which are impressed successively, impressions indicating tickets or other matter. These impressions are spaced apart and the spaces weakened by means of perforations 26 or indentations extending across the strip, as shown in Fig. 11, thereby enabling the strips to be readily folded on these weal ened portions for use in the device illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4. lVhen used in connection with the locking plate 30, heretofore described, the ends of the cross perforations 26 are preferably lengthened to form slots 36 through which the claws or fingers 32 may pass.

When a ticket is to be withdrawn from the receptacle with the locking plate 30, the lower end of the ticket is grasped between the thumb and finger as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 7, the finger comes in contact with the projection 35 of the plate 30 and swings said plate rearwardly, thereby withdrawing the claws or fingers from the depressions 33 in the chute 14. Now if the ticket strip be withdrawn, as soon as the finger passes below the swinging plate 30, the latter will be returned to normal position by the spring 34, with the claws or fingers32 resting against the ticket strip as it passes out of the receptacle, as in Fig. 10, and as soon as the slots 36 in said strip separating the ticket in the grasp of the operators hands and the next ticket reaches the claws the latter will pass therethrough into the indentations 83, and, locking the strip, prevent further movement thereof, as in Fig. The operator perceiving that he can not further withdraw the strip, knows that a ticket has been exposed; he therefore tears the same from the strip. lVhen another ticket is required the same operation is followed, and so on as long as tickets are called for.

On a pin 37 extending across the receptacle 2 behind the locking plate 30 are arms 39 projecting on each side of said locking plate to the front thereof where they are connected to an indicator plate 38 on which the word Stop or some other notice may be placed, as on the indicator plate 16 previously described. One of the arms 39 back of the pivot pin 37 is bent inwardly at right angles to form the finger 41 against which bears a spring 40 for the purpose of retaining the indicator plate 38 both in its lower or exposed position and in its upper position where it closes the mouth of the chute 14.

Instead of perforating the ticket strip as in Fig. 11, the said strip may be weakened by cutting notches or indentations in the edges of the strip in line with the spaces between the ticket impressions, as shown in Fig. 15. When a ticket strip of this form is used, the locking plate 30 is somewhat modified by removing the claws or fingers 32 from the end of the plate and substitute side claws 43 on the front of the plate adapted to enter the notches 42 in the edges of the ticket strip 15. See Figs. 12 and 13. When this form of ticket holder is used, as soon as the fingers withdrawing the ticket permit the locking plate 30 to spring forward the side claws 43 bear against the rear face of the ticketstrip, as shown at Fig. 14, until the next succeeding notches 42 in said strip reach the claws 43 when the latter under the influence of the spring 34 are forced into said notches and stop further movement of the strip.

A. ticket holder constructed as above described provides a simple, etlicient and economical means for handling tickets and similar articles. Strips of tickets can be produced cheaper than individual tickets and they can be handled with greater ease and more rapidly either folded or rolled, than a number of separate tickets. The stop device prevents more than one ticket at a time being withdrawn from the holder. The faces of the tickets are always visible thus eliminating the mistake of abstracting the wrong ticket and also calls for less attention and time to prepare a statement of sales.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. A receptacle for holding a continuous strip of flexible material formed with a series of spaced transverse folds, and a brake in said receptacle arranged to cooperate with each fold and temporarily retard the movement of said strip after a length equal to the distance between said folds has been withdrawn from the receptacle.

2. A ticket holder comprising a receptacle for containing a continuous strip of flexible material formed with a series of spaced transverse folds that divide the strip into tickets, guiding means within the receptacle for directing the movement of said strip as it is withdrawn from the receptacle, and a brake also in said receptacle arranged to cooperate in succession with the folds in said strip and temporarily retarding the movement of said strip after a length equal to the. distance between said folds has been withdrawn from the receptacle.

3. A ticket holder comprising a receptacle for a continuous ticket strip formed with a transverse fold between each ticket, swinging guides within said receptacle arranged to bear on said ticket sections as the strip is withdrawn, a brake adapted to cooperate with each fold and temporarily retard the movement of said strip after a length equal to that of a. ticket has been withdrawn from the receptacle, and means whereby each ticket may be severed from the strip on the line of the fold.

4. A ticket holder comprising a receptacle for a continuous ticket strip, a guide over which said strip is drawn having an opening therethrough for rendering the ticket visible and cutting edges at its extremity, said ticket strip being weakened throughout its length in transverse lines at equal distances apart, a plurality of retarding flaps for providing slight resistance to the withdrawal of said strip, and a brake for increasing the resistance against movement of said strip at the weakened portion.

5. A holder comprising a receptacle for containing a continuous paper strip, said strip having a plurality of equally spaced openings throughout its length, means within the receptacle for intermittently retarding at spaced intervals the withdrawal of said strip, and means adapted to automatically engage the openings in the strip and stop the movement thereof during the act of withdrawing. said means being disengaged from the strip by the fingers as the strip is grasped to again draw out a ticket.

6. A holder comprising a receptacle for a continuous strip, said strip having a plurality of equally spaced openings throughout its length, a support for holding the end of said strip in position to be grasped to draw the same from the receptacle, and means for automatically engaging and stopping the movement of the strip when a predetermined length has been withdrawn, said means being disengaged by the hand from said strip when the latter is grasped.

7. A ticket holder comprising a receptacle for a continuous strip, said strip having a plurality of equally spaced openings throughout its length, a support for the end of said strip in position to be grasped to withdraw the same from the receptacle, said. support being open at its front to expose the face of the ticket, and a pivoted plate provided with a finger adapted to automatically and sucvcessively engage the openings in said strip as it is withdrawn and arrest its movement, I said finger being disengaged from the strip l when the latter is grasped.

8. A ticket holder comprising a receptacle for a continuous ticket strip, a support for l holding the end of said strip in position to t be grasped by the hand and withdrawn from I said receptacle, vand an indicator plate i adapted to be closed against the end of said ticket strip to prevent withdrawal of the same and to be removed therefrom into an exposed position to indicate the disposal of one or more tickets.

9. A ticket holder comprising a receptacle for a continuous strip, a plurality of retarders within said receptacle for intermittently resisting but not stopping withdrawal of said strip, and means for automatically stopping the movement of said strip after a predetermined length has been withdrawn, said means being disengaged from the strip by the hand when grasping the strip to withdraw it.

10. A holder comprising a receptacle for a continuous strip, a plurality of swinging flaps for retarding the withdrawal of said strip from the receptacle, and a pivoted flap having a finger adapted to automatically engage with and stop the movement of the strip after a predetermined length has been drawn.

11. ticket holder comprising a receptacle for a continuous folded ticket strip, a plurality of swinging flaps for pressing each on a fold of said strip to retard its withdrawal, a guide roller for said strip within the receptacle, and an external support for the end fold of said strip provided with cutting edges.

12. A ticket holder comprising a receptacle for a continuous ticket strip, a plurality of swinging flaps for pressing each on a fold of said strip to retard its withdrawal, a guide roller for said strip within the receptacle, a pivoted plate for automatically engaging said strip and stopping its movement after a predetermined length of a strip has been withdrawn from the receptacle, and an external support for the end fold of said strip having its lower edges sharpened.

13. A ticket holder comprising a receptacle for a continuous ticket strip, a plurality of hinged flaps within the receptacle each bearing against a fold of said strip, a guiding roller for said strip also within the receptacle, an external support for the end fold of said strip having its lower edges sharpened, and an indicator plate adapted to swing against the bottom of said external support and close the outlet for the ticket strip.

14. A ticket holder comprising a receptacle for a continuous folded ticket strip, a plurality of hinged flaps within said receptacle for pressing each on a fold of the strip to retard its withdrawal, a guiding roller for said strip also within the receptacle, a hinged plate having a finger adapted to engage with openings in said strip to arrest its movement after a predetermined length has been withdrawn, an external support for the end fold of said strip provided with cutting edges at its lower end, and an indicator plate hinged to the receptacle and adapted to close against the under side of the external support and prevent withdrawal of the strip until depressed.

15. A ticket holder comprising a receptacle for a continuous folded ticket strip, a flap near the top and bottom of said receptacle, adapted to bear on separate folds of the ticket strip to retard withdrawal of the same, an angular flap at the frontof said receptacle and near the top thereof to further retard the movement of said strip and partially resist its withdrawal from the receptacle, a guide roller for said strip in cooperative relation with the angular flap, and a support attached to the front of said receptacle to receive the end fold of the ticket strip.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OSCAR OEHRING. lVitnesses HENRY HAsrnR, TOLDEMAR HAUPT. 

